Protector
by Tehn
Summary: Set after Kingdom Hearts 2. A message from the King brings Sora and the gang to investigate the Guild of Protectors. What part does Kairi play in this adventure? What connections do all three have with her Protector? Rikuxoc SoraxKairi
1. Message in a Bottle

Disclaimer: As you all know, I don't own anything Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Disney, etc. I do, however, own my own character, and any keyblades I make up.

Tehn's Note: This is definately going to be a Rikuxoc, but it might take a while for that to happen. It's not going to be a three-chapter love story, just to warn you. If you're willing to stick it through, read on! Please enjoy.

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Chapter One: Message in a Bottle 

Kairi ran down the wooden ramp to where Sora and Riku were standing.

"Sora!" she called. "Riku!"

"What's up?" Sora inquired as Kairi doubled over, trying to catch her breath.

"Look," she breathed.

"From the King?" Sora grabbed the bottle that Kairi held out to him, the parchment inside quickly rolling out. He opened it, reading intently.

"What does it say?" Kairi asked impatiently, trying to peek over Sora's shoulder. Riku scanned the letter.

"There's something called the Guild of Protectors-"

"What is _that_?" Kairi interjected.

"Doesn't say," Riku let his irritation at her interruption out in his tone. "but apparently we're supposed to find one of them."

Kairi gave Riku an innocent, apologetic look that lasted only a minute before she started her rant. "The king wants us to find someone who claims to be a Protector? This is the all-important letter? What's so dangerous about this?"

Sora finished reading. "Uh, Kairi, it's _your _Protector."

***

Riku clambered onto the gummi ship, bent over under the low roof.

"Why is it that Donald never had a growth spurt?" he grumbled.

"Donald's a duck," Sora answered, smiling at the fact that he wasn't nearly as tall as Riku and so could fit more comfortably. "Be happy he's as tall as he is."

Kairi daintily stepped in next. "At least we don't have to worry about running out of room sideways."

Sora and Kairi broke out in childish giggles, Riku contributing with a couple quick chuckles, until Donald peered from around the pilot seat.

"So…where does the message say to go?" Riku asked Sora, noticing his pocket bulging with the folded letter.

"Erm," Sora stalled, fishing the letter out. "First stop, Hollow – I mean, Radiant Gardens."

"That's where the Protectors are?" Kairi questioned. "Wouldn't you have run into them before?"

"It just says to go there, so I'm not really sure. I'm pretty confused. This is just like geometry class……" Sora moaned, beating the back of his head against the gummi hull.

"Just sit back and let us take care of the flying," Goofy offered from his co-pilot seat. "We'll get you there in no time."

"Thanks," Sora replied sincerely, then cheerily, "Let's get this show on the road!"


	2. Council

Chapter Two: Council 

_The large room was filled with staggered pedestals, no two the same size, except for the long, rectangular table at ground level, surrounded by many chairs, only one filled. Chatter constantly filled the room, echoing off of the high ceilings to mesh and merge together. _

_She sat filling that one chair, parallel to the table, her feet resting to the side on top of the decorated slab, her elbow resting on it as she rubbed her temples with her hands. Her long, dark silver hair, cut into uncountable layers, strangled down against the high-backed chair. _

_The Council was debating again, the incessant arguments that decided which heroes deserved Protectors, and which were left on their own. Those never made it very far. _

_She yawned as the man on the highest pedestal clanged his court mallet down onto the arm of his chaired pedestal. _

_"Order," he called. "Order. We have a situation." His voice, so annoyingly far from impassive rang with uncertainty, the tone silencing everyone quickly. _

_"We are asking for a volunteer," he began, but could go no further for the loud gasp that filled the room. Volunteers were never asked for unless the fate of the Protected was both dire and had the survival of worlds hanging on them. She cocked her head eagerly. It had been too long since the Council had been challenged like this. _

_The Councilmember cleared his throat and began again, looking down at his page of notes. "We are looking for a volunteer. Preferably female. To defend a teenaged girl that will need to kept intact from the Heartless when her heart is stolen and held by another. Will those who are willing please voice their decision?" _

_Silence, blissful silence finally filled the room. The Councilmembers fidgeted. They were old enough to remember the last volunteer – the now dead volunteer. She was the youngest to join the ranks of the elite protectors. She did not remember, neither was she willing to lose this chance to escape the tedious drone of this place. _

_She slid her feet off of the table, the shoes clonking on the cold tile of the floor. Everyone turned jumpily at the sound to look at her as she stood. _

_"I'll go," she proclaimed loudly. Looks of pity and relief filled the room. Pity that someone so young would be expected to die, relief that it was her and not them._

_"Very well," the Councilmember beckoned her to the Oathroom. She followed, her body swaying cockily, a smirk on her face. She was braver than the rest of these pampered, creaking bags of bones. The Councilmember closed the door behind them. _

_"It is time to take the Oath. As you know, there is no set Oath. It changes for each of the Protected. Take a moment and try to glimpse who you will be protecting." _

_"How do I know what she looks like?" She said disbelievingly. _

_"When you volunteered to become her Protector, she became a part of you. You will know her. Your Oath will come with the image."_

_She closed her eyes, letting herself search the rampant images in her mind. There – a girl with red hair, smiling. She seemed so familiar……….._

_"I bind myself to Protect Kairi, Princess of Hearts, and to fulfill my duties until released by death or the breaking of my bindings by the Protected." _

_She stood waiting. "Was that it?" she asked the Councilmember, unimpressed. _

_The Councilmember chuckled mildly, nerves still on edge from the need of a volunteer. "No. Now you receive your Name." _

_He paused. "Kurai." _

_"Kurai?" She rolled the name around in her mouth, unfamiliar. "Not what I would have picked, but it's better than nothing, I suppose." She pivoted to walk out of the room. _

_"Kurai, wait. There is one more thing for you. A weapon."  
She turned, interested. "What is it?" _

_"A Keyblade."_

A/N: Snow day! Which is the only reason that this chappie is done and posted, heh heh. I know, weird, confusing, but something that will matter in the long run. Or short run, maybe. I don't know. Anyway, I'll try to post soon!

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	3. Dream

Chapter Three: Dream 

She lounged on top of the red roof, the sun washing everything in a yellow tinged with orange as it hinted at setting. She stifled a sigh, and yawned instead. Again, that memory had risen unbidden in her mind. She didn't regret making this decision, this pact she had made, her life for her freedom. She scoffed at the paradox.

That Council mulled over in her head again and again, never leaving. A twinge of relaxing conscience echoed as she felt the Protected fall asleep. She always called her the Protected, never Kairi. Emotions tended to find their way to names, and emotion was the last thing that she wanted to feel right now. If she let them take rein, they would blind her to her work; bring anger and hatred and happiness and sadness and more pain than she wanted to think about.

An idea popped into her head. The Councilmember had said that eventually, for her Oath to be complete, she had to interact with her Protected. He had also said, though, that she would crave insane amounts of peppermints, and that hadn't happened. She couldn't decide if he was in his right mind or not sometimes. Either way, she did want to know who she sacrificed herself for.

And so she took that memory that haunted her, and she sent it down the spider's web to the conscience of Kairi.

***

Kairi jerked up, her breaths coming quick and shallow. That dream….it was so realistic, and it felt familiar, but she couldn't exactly say what the source was. The feeling reminded her of when her heart was held by Sora. . . .

She looked around, trying to regulate her breathing and calm down. The gummi ship was on autopilot, apparently, as she noticed the odd mixture of snores and mumbling quacks from Donald, and the long snores from Goofy. Her eyes dropped down as she smiled at the image, and fell to Riku.

He was lying on his side, knees bent slightly to fit in the small space, his head on his arm for a pillow. The splayed silver hair framed his face, the face that she had looked at so much to make sure that he was really there; the face that held so much pain now caught the innocence of sleep.

Something kicked her.

Irritation flared up, until she saw what exactly had done the wicked deed. Sora was curled up in a ball, mumbling as randomly flailed a little in the midst of an action-packed dream. She leaned her head a little closer to him to hear what he was saying.

"No……c'mon Kairi…….not the pink one………I wanted that one…….not fair….."

So he remembered the time that she had stolen all of the pink fruit from the clubhouse. Riku had thrown a fit, too. She laughed, which jostled Donald awake. He looked around defensively to make sure no one had caught him in his nap. His cartoonish eyes widened comically as he saw Kairi awake and giggling.

"I wasn't asleep," he mumbled as he turned to the wheel.

Kairi sat back against the hull. After that dream, she didn't really want to go back to sleep.

"We're here," Donald quacked. Sora jumped awake at the loud noise.

"Radiant Gardens!" he exclaimed. "Finally!"

***

She was surprised. Apparently the link worked both ways. She never expected the Protected to be here. She clenched the note she held in her hand. That interfering mouse had better not be up to something.

A black insignia was the only unwrinkled part left on the note as it dropped to the city below.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long, everyone. I'm balancing two fics with *shudder* school. Not to fear, though. I made up for it with a long chapter. I hope this one had a bit of laughable humor in it. Blergh, I'm just rambling. Sorry. Read on!


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